Iginiit ni House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman at Albay Rep. Joey Salceda na kailangang palakasin ang healthcare capacity at COVID-19 test.
Ito ay kasunod ng isang linggong extension ng Enhanced Community Quarantine sa tinaguriang NCR plus.
Sabi ni Salceda, “The very premise of extensions is that they are time bought to prepare a stronger healthcare response. If there will be no changes in our ICU capacity, we will merely be deferring new surges of infection for later.”
Kailangan anyang ikonsidera ang mga force multipliers ng healthcare system kabilang ang telemedicine, door-to-door shipping ng mga kinakailangan ng isang pasyente kabilang na ang mga oxygen tanks.
Dapat din anya na mayroong treatment facilities ang mga isolation center upang dito na gamutin ang mild hanggang moderate cases ng COVID-19 at hindi na dalhin pa sa mga ospital.
Dagdag nito, “The utilization rate of our government-built isolation centers hovers just above 10%. Cases are isolation either at home or are in hospitals seeking treatment. We need to consider fully equipping our isolation centers so that they can also already serve as treatment centers for non-severe cases.”
“Lockdown extensions without healthcare expansion will gradually asphyxiate our economy. So, if we will extend the lockdown for another round, we should make the extension worth the pain,” pahayag pa ng ekonomistang mambabatas.